Book Translation

English to Spanish

I'm Glad My Mom Died

By: Jennette McCurdy

I'm Glad My Mom Died is a memoir by American writer, director, and former actress Jennette McCurdy based on her one-woman show of the same name. The book is about her career as a child actress and her difficult relationship with her abusive mother who died in 2013. It is McCurdy's first book and was published on August 9, 2022, by Simon & Schuster.

This book was originally written in English.

Original Version

Translated version (Spanish)

First and second paragraph, Chapter 1:

“THE PRESENT IN FRONT OF me is wrapped in Christmas paper even though it’s the end of June. We have so much paper left over from the holidays because Grandpa got the dozen-roll set from Sam’s Club even though Mom told him a million times that it wasn’t even that good of a deal.

“I peel—don’t rip—off the paper, because I know Mom likes to save a wrapping paper scrap from every present, and if I rip instead of peel, the paper won’t be as intact as she’d like it to be. Dustin says Mom’s a hoarder, but Mom says she just likes to preserve the memories of things. So I peel.”

Primer y segundo párrafo, capítulo 1:

EL REGALO DELANTE DE MÍ está envuelto en papel navideño aunque estamos a finales de junio. Nos sobró tanto papel de las vacaciones porque el abuelo compró el juego de docenas de rollos de Sam's Club a pesar de que mamá le dijo un millón de veces que ni siquiera era una buena oferta.

Pelé, no rasgué, el papel, porque sé que a mamá le gusta guardar un trozo de papel de regalo de cada regalo, y si rompo en lugar de pelar, el papel no estará tan intacto como a ella le gustaría. ser. Dustin dice que mamá es una acumuladora, pero mamá dice que solo le gusta conservar los recuerdos de las cosas. Así que pelé.

Translation in Spanish taken from a published version.

Translation Techniques

Literal Translation: The phrase "I peel—don't rip—off the paper" is translated quite literally as "Pelé, no rasgué, el papel," maintaining the word order and structure. This is an example of a literal translation technique.
Cultural Adaptation: The second paragraph in Spanish adapts the cultural references to make them relevant to a Spanish-speaking audience. It mentions "papel navideño" (Christmas paper) and "Sam's Club," which are terms and references that would be familiar to Spanish speakers. This is a common practice in translation to ensure cultural relevance.
Possessive Form Adaptation: Possessive forms were modified to match the rules and conventions of the target language. In English, "Grandpa's" and "Mom's" were replaced with "del abuelo" (of Grandpa) and "de mamá" (of Mom) in Spanish.
Tense and Verb Form Adaptation: The translator adjusted the tense and verb forms to align with the conventions of the target language. For instance, changing from the present tense ("is wrapped") and past tense ("got") in English to the present tense ("está envuelto") and preterite past tense ("compró") in Spanish.

Original Version

Translated version (Spanish)

Closing paragraph, Chapter 1:

...And I think I can do something about that fragility with my birthday wish.

Finally, the “Happy Birthday” song’s over. The time has come. My big moment. I shut my eyes and take a deep breath in while I make my wish in my head.

I wish that Mom will stay alive another year.

Ultimo párrafo, capítulo 1:

...Y creo que puedo hacer algo acerca de esa fragilidad con mi deseo de cumpleaños.

Finalmente, la canción de "Feliz cumpleaños" ha terminado. El tiempo ha llegado. Mi gran momento. Cierro los ojos y respiro profundamente mientras pido mi deseo en mi cabeza.

Deseo que mamá siga viva un año más.

Translation in Spanish done by myself.

Translation Techniques

Literal Translation: While there is some adaptation, many elements are translated quite literally. For example, "birthday wish" is translated to "deseo de cumpleaños," and "shut my eyes" is translated as "cierro los ojos." These are close word-for-word translations.
Cultural Adaptation: The translator adapted cultural references such as "Happy Birthday" to "Feliz cumpleaños" to make the text culturally relevant to Spanish-speaking readers.
Idiomatic Translation: The translator used idiomatic expressions in Spanish that match the intent of the source text, such as "respiro profundamente" (I take a deep breath) and "pido mi deseo en mi cabeza" (I make my wish in my head).

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